A Great Green Resolution: Cut your Carbon Emissions

It's time to think about New Year's resolutions again. This year, why not resolve to go on an energy diet? The idea is to set a few measurable goals to make your home more energy efficient in 2008 and then keep track of your progress. Not only will you save money by reducing your energy bills, you'll be protecting the environment by reducing carbon emissions and other pollutants that come from burning fossil fuels.

How can you get started? Here are two books and two Web sites that will help you measure and then reduce your home energy use.

Web Resources. One good place to start is the Climate Crisis Web site, where you can calculate your carbon footprint, and then find lots of suggestions for how to start reducing it.

Another resource I find very useful is The Half Plan section of BuilditSolar.com. The great thing about this site is that it shows you the exact steps one household followed to cut its energy use in half, and tells you exactly how much money and energy they saved by doing each project.

Helpful Books. Both of the books below are on my own bookshelf, and both are packed with good ideas for saving energy. You may be able to find them at your local library, or click on the links below for sources where you can purchase them.

Going car-free has made a huge, positive difference in my life. I didn't realize how much time and money I was wasting until I stopped. I've been able to travel much more since my only vehicle has been a bicycle.

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